Former DC security/defense policy specialist. Occasional co-host of This is Revolution Podcast. Deep State neckwear enthusiast.
Mar 18, 2022 • 21 tweets • 9 min read
But enough about showbiz, let’s talk politics #ShowbizForUglyPeople. Yesterday I tweeted about the Western ultra-hawks that salivate over the prospect of a Ukrainian insurgency. I want to pick up that thought:
Let’s start with @cafreeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. She’s has a @PeteButtigieg-style elite trajectory, with media instead of consulting as her pre-political stepping stone. thestar.com/amp/politics/f…
Mar 15, 2022 • 19 tweets • 10 min read
@jayohardeeayen sent me to this interesting thread on the impact of #sanctions on the #RussianEconomy. It’s a well thought out and grounded analysis, so no hate even as I nit pick. @IlyaMatveev_ talks trade, currency reserves, globalization, and downstream impact on Russians.
This is a vital observation: Russia relies on imports across a wide range of goods. Much of the Soviet industrial base (back when the economy was closer to autarky) was liquidated in the 90s, and now Russia is an energy/commodities exporter and an importer of everything else.
Mar 2, 2022 • 20 tweets • 8 min read
The #UkraineRussiaWar has entered its second week. I find the YouTube genre of map-based animations of war progress helpful to keep track of developments across Ukraine:
There are a number of different channels doing the same: , , , . They differ primarily in their choice of music.
Mar 2, 2022 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
@gho1989 sent me a DM with some great questions, and I want to relay our conversation here. He asked who might be in line after #Putin, in case of an accident or “accident” befalling the Russian leader, and the prospects of insider regime change in Russia.
This ties in with another topic of interest, @mtaibbi’s Substack column on Putin’s rise in 90s Russia and the connivance of Western interests in his political advance. Taibbi knows Russia, having started as a journalist in Moscow for an alt-weekly: taibbi.substack.com/p/putin-the-ap…
Mar 2, 2022 • 10 tweets • 8 min read
At Pop the Left, @StefanBertramL and I talk #internationalSecurity and #Ukraine . Very appreciative to have a chance to get insight from someone who experienced modern war in #Syria:
The situation in Ukraine is developing rapidly. Russian forces have entered #Kherson, a regional capital between #Crimea and #Odessa. Latest word is that the city capitulated after encirclement: news18.com/amp/news/world…
